Final Score: 8.75

Summary:

The ScareATorium has returned for another year looking for victims to take in. With the beginning of this year, the ScareATorium has hit the ground running with changes and updates. They have taken on 13th Floor Entertainment as a partner and you can notice the enhancement made already. They have faced a few other difficult transitions, but have come out better than before. This is the haunt you want to attend for hours of fun because you can add on the Escape Rooms, which I recommend. No excuses about weather due to this being an all-indoor haunt. So quit being a pansy and ask that person to one Hell of a date that can’t be cancelled, but will send them screaming into your arms.

Cast: 9.27

A cast is beneficial to a haunts success. ScareATorium takes this as serious as a knife to the throat. They have intense auditions which leads to extensive training for their cast. So as you are screaming in terror, you will realize that this cast sets the bar. We never saw one cast member break character and they were all believable. One things that helps them be believable is their script and the other details around them. Tipsy the Clown made his presence known again this year. Tipsy even got my hopes up that he would break character when he wanted to tell us a story but he didn’t, which was impressive. The girls in the school room get a shout out from us, as their dialogue flowed so well together and their ability to work with each other and the props made this scene one of our favorites.

Costuming: 9.2

Costuming is the first step in getting your cast to go from a human to an extraordinarily creature. It helps set the scene for the haunt. ScareATorium does a noteworthy job at getting costuming right to help their cast get into their roles. This year, ScareATorium is down a head make up artist, but you would never know, as the excellence continues without missing a beat. They have a costuming team and someone on hand all night to run to a scene to fix or change something if needed, which is a step above the rest. The attention to detail helps the costuming fit into each scene, so you will not find a character that does not belong. This year we have mad werewolf love coming out of ScareATorium. The costume was designed by the actor himself and it couldn’t be any more amazing.

Customer Service: 9.5

ScareATorium does customer service like an embalmer does a dead corpse. They all do their job dead on. ScareATorium has safety in the forefront by staying up to code and having emergency plans in place. They also have an officer on duty, if needed. They even make conscious decisions about how everyday events will effect their haunts and patrons. Their staff is always around and, unlike the creatures, they are helpful and friendly. They are ready to answer questions and handle problems. You will have no trouble finding this haunt as it is in a high-traffic area and it’s lit up so you can’t miss it. Your GPS should take you right to it and you will see blood-red lights that read “ScareATorium.”

Atmosphere: 8

You get out of your car because “it will be fun” they said. You walk up to red glowing letters that spell out ScareATorium. You are greeted by some not-so-friendly souls who claim they want to help. Loud music and lights make you believe that it will be a party. However, once you enter the doors, you will hear the screams of upcoming victims and people running for their lives; you know you aren’t at a party. You will be greeted with warning posters and eager creatures to “help you” in.

Special Effects: 8.26

If you want to see special effects in all of its glory, RIP’s 3D Funhouse is your place. The amount of detail in this haunt is amazing. It is one special effect stacked on another to provide you with the Funhouse entertainment from your nightmares. It provides specialty paints, optical illusions, 3D and, of course, clowns.

The Northland Asylum utilizes all the key ingredients to make each special effect effective. There are minor ones you may not notice, such as speeding up a prop that changes the whole dynamic of a scene. Smells are making a comeback for the ScareATorium. There were a few rooms that had us trying not to see what we had for lunch. Lighting is used well in this attraction and it sets the mood for each room, as well as the story each tells. There are not tons of sound effects but the most realistic sound you will hear is the screams of terror that are somewhere around you. The highlight for us was Jerry’s Werewolf.

Theme: 9

The ScareATorium is a place where they collect creatures and screams. Inside of this place, you will find The Northland Asylum, which is in the same location that the real one was located many years ago.

In RIP’s 3D Funhouse, you will also find an amazing walkthrough of something we like to call “a carnival-based Hell” with pieces of Alice in wonderland sprinkled in.

Both attractions do amazing at storytelling. They are distinct from one another and both provide different types of entertainment, but they are cohesive in terror.

Fright Effect: 8.41

RIP’s 3D Funhouse is not a fun house if you hate tormented, freaky clowns. With their wicked smiles and harassment of playing games, this is where you bring your non-clown-loving friends. If you hate bridges or get creeped-out by optical illusions, then you came to the right place. The Funhouse also provides lots of 3D entertainment.

The Northland Asylum is were the diabolical Dr. Collins keeps his tormented victims. You will go from the intake at the Asylum all the way to putting you six feet under. In your life-ending journey, you will witness fears and frights from every corner and of every type, making this journey a sore throat, running-for-your-life endeavor.

Value: 8.36

If you are looking for a spine-tingling good time, then you will get “bang for your buck” at ScareATorium. It took us 21 minutes to go through both attractions. Remember, this is a self-guided tour, so that number will depend if your groups are runners or stragglers. It has two distinct haunted attractions and each bring their own level of excitement for everyone in your group. Then there are four different escape rooms that you can add on for $5 each. You should try at least one because then you will know – if all Hell breaks loose – who you should surround yourself with and who will get you killed. The bonus here is that it is all indoors, so when mother nature decides she needs to bring a wrath of fury, there are no worries.